This delicious, moist Gluten-Free Banana Cake is the perfect way to use those over-ripe bananas. Whilst the cake itself is sufficiently delicious to serve with just a dusting of powdered sugar, I have enriched and embellished it with a luscious cream cheese frosting. This traditional cake is certain to become a family favourite.
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Why we love this recipe:
There are so many ways to enjoy this easy cake. Like my Banana Slice, you can serve it for morning or afternoon tea, take on a picnic or enjoy it as a special treat at any time. As well, it is sufficiently elegant to serve for dessert. Just some of the reasons that we love this cake:
- It helps you avoid food wastage. You can transform your over-ripe bananas, which nobody wants to eat, into something sweet and delicious.
- This gluten-free cake has a beautiful texture and is rich with the aroma and flavour of bananas.
- You can confidently serve this cake to people who don’t need to avoid gluten. We do not sacrifice the flavour and texture to make this cake gluten-free.
- A luxurious, rich, cream cheese frosting embellishes the moist textured banana cake. Whilst it is not essential, you could just use a dusting of icing/powdered sugar, but it is just so good!
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
For the Cake:
Butter – When it comes to baking, butter beats margarine every time. It adds a richer flavour to baked goods.
Caster/superfine – dissolves easier than regular sugar.
Eggs – I use large, free-range eggs.
Mashed banana – for the best flavour, it is important to use over-ripe bananas.
Vanilla extract – use good quality extract, not synthetically flavoured essence.
Gluten-free self-raising flour – I have used a commercial gluten-free flour, made from a blend of naturally occurring gluten-free flours. Our gluten-free flour blends contain either xanthan or guar gum to stabilise and provide structure to our recipes. Not all gluten-free flour blends are equal. It may take trial and error to find one which you like.
Baking/bicarbonate of soda – assists with leavening.
Milk – adds moisture.
For the Frosting:
Cream cheese – I use full fat cream cheese which is readily available in supermarkets.
Vanilla extract – adds great flavour.
Icing/powdered sugar – I use pure icing sugar. If you use an icing mixture, ensure that it is gluten-free.
Step by step instructions:
Ensure that you have all your ingredients measured and ready to use.
To begin, preheat your oven to 180 Degrees C (355 F).
Cut some non-stick baking paper to line the base of a 20 cm/8 inch springform tin, and grease the sides.
- Combine the flour and baking soda, sift them together and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using hand-held electric beaters, combine the room temperature butter and caster sugar. Beat for 3-4 minutes until the mixture is well amalgamated and a pale, creamy colour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract and combine.
- With the mixture on the lowest speed, add half the sifted flour mixture alternately with half the milk until only just combined.
- Turn the mixture into the prepared baking tin and cook in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.
- Place the tin onto a metal cooling rack. After about 10 minutes, remove the side of the tin. Allow the cake to cool completely. Transfer to a serving plate and then top with the frosting.
- To prepare the frosting, place the softened cream cheese and vanilla in a small bowl and, using handheld electric beaters or a wooden spoon, mix until smooth.
- Sift the icing sugar to remove any lumps. Add to the cream cheese and mix until it forms a smooth, creamy frosting.
- Spread the frosting over the cake. Enjoy!
Tips for success and FAQs:
The depth of banana flavour in your cake is dependant on using very ripe bananas, ideally at the stage when their skin is blackened. The darker the skin of the banana, the sweeter, more intense the flavour.
Always bake with room temperature ingredients. Cold ingredients do not incorporate and emulsify properly. If you forget to take your eggs out of the fridge, fill a small bowl with slightly warm water and add the eggs, leaving them there for about 5-7 minutes. This will help to bring them to room temperature. Do not use hot water – you may partially cook the eggs!
Whilst we provide volume and weight measurements, precision is important when baking. You will get a better, more consistent result if you weigh your ingredients.
Whilst it can be tempting to speed up the process and beat the butter and sugar together for just a few seconds, you will obtain much better results with your cake if you beat it for about 3 minutes. You will see the butter and sugar change colour and texture, becoming smooth and a pale, creamy colour. The sugar will dissolve into the butter and the mixture will incorporate air, helping to make your cake lighter.
If you have made your cake a day ahead and it is not frosted, store it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. You can prepare the frosting separately and store it in the refrigerator. Just bring it to room temperature to spread on the cake. Once you have added the frosting, store it in an airtight container or well covered with cling wrap in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Without gluten, your cake does not have the strength of regular wheat-based flour. This can cause some cakes to sink in the middle. Cakes sometimes sink as too much air has been incorporated. Be sure to not overbeat the mixture. And, always fold in the flour gently. Put the cake in the oven as soon as the mixture is ready and be sure to not open the door before the cake mixture has set. One of the most common reasons that cakes sink in the middle is that the cake has not cooked long enough. Be sure to check it carefully. If you have used a springform tin and the cake has sunk slightly in the middle, turn it upside down. This way, you will have a flat base on which to apply your cream cheese frosting.
For the best flavour, I like to use a regular block of full-fat cream cheese, not the spreadable kind. You must wait to frost the cake until it is cold. If you try to add the cream cheese mixture while the cake is still warm, the frosting will melt and slide off.
More delicious recipes for you to try:
Here are some more of our favourite gluten-free cakes which we think you will love:
- Lemon Tea Cake
- Chocoate Sour Cream Cake
- Fruit Cake
- Blueberry Cake
- Pear and Raspberry Cake
- Almond Cake
- Carrot Cake
- Strawberry Cake
This easily made, Gluten-Free Banana Cake, is a crowd-pleaser. It is ideal for the family but sufficiently delicious to serve to guests. It is perfect for morning or afternoon tea and the cream cheese frosting makes it ideal to serve as a dessert.
I hope you will give our Gluten-Free Banana Cake a try. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Alex xx
Gluten-Free Banana Cake
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- ½ cup (125 g) butter – at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (160 g) caster/superfine sugar
- 2 large eggs – at room temperature
- 1 cup mashed banana – approximately 3 medium bananas See Note 1
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract See Note 2
- 1 ¼ cups (190 g) gluten-free self-raising flour See Notes 3 and 4
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda – NOT powder
- 2 tablespoon milk See Note 5
For the Frosting:
- 5 tablespoon (100 g) cream cheese – at room temperature See Notes 5 and 6
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (150 g) icing/powdered sugar See Note 7
Instructions
For the Cake:
- Ensure that you have all your ingredients measured and ready to use.
- Preheat your oven to 180 Degrees C (355F).
- Cut some non-stick baking paper to line the base of a 20 cm (8 inch) springform tin and grease the sides.
- Combine the flour and baking soda, sift them together and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using hand-held electric beaters, combine the room temperature butter and caster sugar.
- On medium speed, beat for about 3 minutes until the mixture is a pale, creamy colour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary to ensure the mixture is well amalgamated.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract and combine. The mixture may appear to curdle at this point, but it will come together.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, add half the sifted flour mixture alternately with half the milk until only just combined. Do not overbeat. Remove the bowl, use a silicone spatula to combine any remaining flour.
- Turn the mixture into the prepared baking tin, and place into the preheated oven. Cook for 35-40 minutes or until a fine skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Place the tin onto a metal cooling rack. After about 10 minutes, remove the side of the tin. Allow the cake to cool completely. Transfer to a serving plate and then top with the frosting.
For the Frosting:
- Place the softened cream cheese and vanilla in a small bowl and, using handheld electric beaters or a wooden spoon, mix well together until smooth.
- Sift the icing sugar to remove any lumps. Add to the cream cheese and mix until it forms a smooth, creamy frosting. Spread the frosting over the cake.
- Enjoy immediately, or if making in advance, store the cake in an airtight container. If serving the following day, store the cake well covered in the fridge.
Notes
- To obtain the best flavour, use very ripe bananas, ideally at the stage when their skin is slightly blackened. The darker the skin of the banana, the sweeter, more intense the flavour.
- For the best flavour, use good quality vanilla extracted from vanilla beans, not one synthetically flavoured.
- I have used a commercial self-raising flour, made from a blend of naturally occurring gluten-free flours. However, you can substitute regular self-raising flour if you don’t need the cake to be gluten-free. Our gluten-free flour blends contain either xanthan or guar gum to stabilise and provide structure to our recipes. Not all gluten-free flour blends are equal. It may take trial and error to find one which you like.
- We have provided both volume and weight measurements, but when it comes to baking, weighing your ingredients is more accurate.
- The Australian tablespoon is 20ml or 4 teaspoons. In many other countries, the tablespoon is 15 ml or 3 teaspoons. Please adjust your measurement if necessary.
- Use cream cheese found in a block in supermarkets, not the spreadable kind.
- I have used pure icing sugar. If you use icing sugar mixture, be sure that it is gluten-free.
- Please note, the nutritional information is based on eight serves. The nutritional information is an estimate only.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Barb Lawry
Hi Alex, This cake got the 5 star rating from everybody (both gf and non gf). Thanks for a great recipe. The texture and flavour of this cake is amazing.
Alexandra
Hi Barb, I am delighted to hear that our GF Banana Cake was enjoyed by all. Thank you for taking the time to let me know. 🙂